This invention relates to a process for the preparation of carboxylic acid halides. In particular, it relates to a process for preparing silyl esters of carboxylic acids which are directly convertible to acid halides.
There are many methods available for preparing acid halides, most typically from the free-carboxylic acid itself. As to methods for preparing acid halides from the corresponding trialkylsilyl ester, U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,710 teaches the chlorination of a trimethylsilyl ester using thionyl chloride (SOCl.sub.2). However, the anhydrous methodology required for these types of reactions makes commercial scale synthesis an oftentimes uneconomical.